Integra Auto to Man tranny swap, time and money?

Question

After driving my friends manual ls integra, i decided that my auto ls needed a man transmission. So I'm trying to decide whether or not it would be worth the time and money to put a gsr transmission in my car. Since money is hard to come by for college students...about how much would this cost, labor included? How long would it take me to gather all the parts (roughly)?

Answer 1

I've done this to my 91 Honda Prelude, some things might be different. And the prices might be different seeing as how it's harder to find parts for my car than yours. Also the hydraulic parts I bought new, you don't want to take a chance with used hydraulic parts. Also, having a parts car would be nice.

You don't need a wiring harness, or a new ECU, just toss the TCU away. If you were going from MT-AT then you would need a different ECU+TCU.

These are some things that you will need...

Jack with jackstands...you'll need to figure out if you're gonna remove the auto tranny from above or below the car, so you might want a cherry picker as well. The auto tranny weighs a hell of alot more than the 5spd

5spd tranny w/starter- $400
shift cable linkages
shifter- $10
shifter cable bracket
master cylinder- $60
slave cylinder- $30
lower clutch line
clutch pressure regulator
clutch pedal set- $20
tranny mounts...you would need a rear 5spd tranny mount as the autos dont have one.
clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing.- $210
flywheel w/flywheel bolts- $210
You might need a 5spd halfshaft (intermediate shaft) but i'm not sure with your teg. I didn't have to with my lude.

you will also need a new lower radiator hose, they are different lengths. You need to relocate the battery ground wire, and get a new heater core return hose.

I also had to drill through the frame, because the auto tranny mounts differently than the 5spd. It's not a big deal, the location of where you need to drill is right next to the auto holes. You will need 4 grade 8 bolts and nuts.

In order to get the pedals in, you will need to unbolt the steering shaft and drop it down from the dash.

If you had someone else do it, labor could easily be around $300-400. But your parts would be cheaper since tegs are all over the place.

You'll need lots of time and patience, you should do a lot of research before doing this swap. Good luck!

Answer 2

a manual ls transmission should not be expensive, only time consuming. a gsr tranny will require you to buy new cv shafts, about $70 each for autozone cheap crap. if you have access to a junk integra, it would be very easy to remove everything you need in a few hours. putting it on your car is what will take time. holes must be drilled in firewall to mount clutch cylinder, linkage is different, you need a clutch pedal, add fuses (forgot how many, i think 2 or 3, but the wires are already run, just put the fuse in), engine enable switch, connect the wires for manual transmission...etc. many things can be done while you still are driving the car. the last step is actually replacing the transmission and installing the speedo cable and linkage.
if you do decide to do this, make sure you keep everything you take off the junk car to put on yours. even the brackets you take off you will need to keep the fluid lines aligned correctly, otherwise they will to too short. the speedometer cable is different so you will need it also. for you speedometer to work correctly, you will need the ecu from the manual car. your car might see the new tranny as a problem and limit revs to 3200. the wiring for the ecu is the same so you will not have to change the wiring harness BUT you will have to connect 5 or 6 wires in your harness that are not connected.
if you are doing it yourself, you should be able to get the parts for for less than $200 from junk yard, $300 at most including the tranny. make sure the clutch plates are including and the plates and throw out bearing are working properly. if you keep everything from the junk car you will need to buy nothing else except a clutch alignment tool if you dont have one. most of the work can be done without having the car down for more than a few hours at a time.
if you can not do it and need a mechanic to make the change, or want to try to buy all the parts new from acura, you are better off buying another car. my guys would first look at you like you were crazy and say about 3 grand plus parts and give us 2 months. no warranty. this type of change is for the do-it-yourselfer...not a mechanic shop. fabrication is needed and mechanic shops fix cars, not modify them to this extent.

whatever you decide to do, good luck. the ls manual will give you the same enjoyment as the gsr manual, but cost a few hundred less.

Answer 3

I have done this swap on a accord and on a civic hatchback, plain said, it is ALOT easier to just buy a car already equipped with a manual tranny. Look to spend 12-1800 on it otherwise. Cable transmission is alittle easier then a hydro trans. You'd want a nice clutch and pressure plate and resurfaced or aftermarket flywheel, so expect to pay more. If you can be lucky enough to find a junked chassis like your car with a 5 speed tranmission with alot of the parts still there, then it would be a nice project if you dont have alot of money tied up in it. Like I said though, its easier to just buy a 5 speed in the first place, that way instead of using that money on a tranny swap, you can use it for something like an engine swap, or something of that nature.

Answer 4

You would be silly not to just buy one thats a 5-speed. But to answer the question you will need between $6,000-$8,000 to do it correctly. the parts you will need are: the tranny, tranny mounts, axles, hubs, shift linkages, clutch pedal, clutch master cylinder, COMPLETE wiring harness from the 5 speed vehicle, ECU from the 5-speed vehicle, different distributor, 5-speed flywheel, clutch, shifter, shift boot, center console for the interior, hydraulic lines for the master cylinder/tranny connection, a few sensors, and misc. other little parts. And being as your car is a automatic it is either a LS or RS and has the weak B18A in it. so you could go buy a 1996 GSR with more HP and torque, and still spend less.

Answer 5

wouldn't be worth it. it would take awhile to get all the parts and have a clutch put in somehow. plus a slave cylinder and a clutch fluid reservoir must also be installed.